The Bourges was designed to be fitted with ABC Dragonfly radio engines. In the event the first prototype was fitted with Bentley BR2 Rotary engine. When the Dragonfly was used on another prototype it was found to be unreliable but valuable time was lost in development and the RAF's requirements had changed so it was never used to its full potential.

This is a Boulton and Paul P7 Bourges 1B with ABC Dragonfly engines on the bottom wing. This aircraft has a cranked top wing to give the gunners an increased field of fire in the upper hemisphere, an idea patented by J.D. North in 1918 - application 14145/18, Patent GB125864A. This aircraft serial F2904 subsequently crashed at Mousehold Heath and the wreckage was salvaged to help build the P8 Atlantic Series, which abandoned the Dragonfly for the Napier Lion